"Spare" memoir by the Duke of Sussex (2023)

[Sionevar]

I'm trying to understand if this book is best-seller, why there's many reporting where it's been sold at half-price and on the first day it's launched. Is it some kind of marketing strategy? Because logically if something sells well, keeping the price will mean more revenue, right? So why cut the price?

I suspect it's because the publisher (or the retailer) knows there's a whole army of consumers who will buy the book out of sheer nosiness or for the gossip drama if it's selling for 10 pounds, but not if it's selling for 20 pounds.

The publisher might view number of units sold as a more important metric than money earned. Especially with a book like this.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Someone said earlier that he was stuck in adolescence and I quite agree. Developmentally he doesn’t seem to have grown much (cognitively and emotionally) past ages 12-14. I really cannot believe he is 38 and is writing about ….well, the things he is writing about.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

I have the book on my kindle and I'm dipping into it. There's an interesting piece about them needing to move from Nott Cott. Harry had phoned Granny to say they needed a new place to live because of Nott Cott's required repairs and it being too small for them with two dogs and a baby on the way.

"I told her we'd discussed our housing situation with the Palace, and we'd been offered several properties, but each was too grand, we thought. Too lavish. And too expensive to renovate."

'Granny' then thought about it for a few days and suggested Frogmore Cottage.

What's surprising to me is that they were offered several grand properties. I knew they'd been offered the Kensington Palace apartment but I'd love to know which other grand homes they turned down.

Something I’m wondering about: in this book, ghostwritten by an American author, HLM is referred to by Harry as “Granny.” And I remember that in whatever Harry (or Meghan) wrote when she died she was also referred to as “Granny.” G-r-a-n-n-y is how we spell this affectionate term for one’s grandmother in the US.

However, William, Beatrice, and Eugenie all paid tribute to Grannie spelled G-r-a-n-n-i-e which must be how it is spelled in the UK. Did Harry not know how to spell the name he called his own grandmother??? Did he not read any of this book before it was published?

I remember this specifically because of the spelling difference.

 

[GraceOMalleysGhost]

Harry is emotionally stuck at the age the trauma occurred, it happens quite often in PTSD. He's not a well man. Using substances to cover and not deal with his trauma is a mistake. He should have been in psycho-intensive rehab years ago.

I found the part about him slapping his security shocking and disturbing. The whole replicating the tunnel incident was a horrible idea start to finish. I had no idea he was this broken. Sad.

 

[Prinsara]

Something I’m wondering about: in this book, ghostwritten by an American author, HLM is referred to by Harry as “Granny.” And I remember that in whatever Harry (or Meghan) wrote when she died she was also referred to as “Granny.” G-r-a-n-n-y is how we spell this affectionate term for one’s grandmother in the US.

However, William, Beatrice, and Eugenie all paid tribute to Grannie spelled G-r-a-n-n-i-e which must be how it is spelled in the UK. Did Harry not know how to spell the name he called his own grandmother??? Did he not read any of this book before it was published?

I remember this specifically because of the spelling difference.

The -y/-ie royal thing is pretty much a tossup for most instances; the exception being Prince Albert Victor who is always "Eddy" with the y, the way his mother nicknamed all her relatives. However his younger brother is 95+% of the time "Georgie" with the ie. There's not much rhyme or reason.

However he does consistently refer to Mummy and not Mommy, so someone Britpicked that.

 

[yukari]

A clip from Tonight's interview, this one about him mentioning his kills in Afghanistan

https://twitter.com/x/status/1612948555777609730

Does he really say that he'll be angry if other people do it? But-but-but it's okay if it's him because he's not "boasting", it's okay to say 25 human being as chess pieces because of the context.

Sure, Harold.
Just like it's okay to body shamed a lady because everyone is laughing including the said lady herself.
Just like it's okay to make your staff wept and work under toxic environment because it's not your fault they couldn't accept "constructive criticism".
Just like it's okay to share "private" conversation and invade other's people privacy because you need to tell "your truth".
Just like it's okay to hit your employee because you're angry and need to vent.
Just like it's okay for you to be angry when other people doing the same to you. But they don't deserve to feel upset/angry, right Harold?

 

[Lori138]

Can't wait for the sequel (maybe called "Spare parts II, the Montecito files"or whatever).

There won't be a sequel if they can only talk thru lawyers. Can't quote anything they say as then they will be sued.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Is Messiah Complex a recognised mental condition brought on by marijuana or ..PTSD?
Can it show itself in middle age? Does anyone see Harry as perhaps being ill?

Messiah or savior complex is not a clinical term nor diagnosable disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V). It’s seen as a narcissistic behavioral pattern - from being the hero to the victim. Even though it’s not in the DSM, therapy can certainly help -IF the person is seeing someone who is licensed and skilled and IF the person can say that he or she would like to grow and change. Otherwise….

I definitely believe that Harry has mental health issues - but I certainly would nor could not diagnose someone I’ve never met. And as entrenched as he is in his beliefs of always being right, he'd need to see someone very skilled. I really do wonder what his former therapist(s) and psychiatrist think about all of this. If (as Harry says) medication was suggested at some point, he would have to have a diagnosable disorder.

 

[Lilyflo]

Something I’m wondering about: in this book, ghostwritten by an American author, HLM is referred to by Harry as “Granny.” And I remember that in whatever Harry (or Meghan) wrote when she died she was also referred to as “Granny.” G-r-a-n-n-y is how we spell this affectionate term for one’s grandmother in the US.

However, William, Beatrice, and Eugenie all paid tribute to Grannie spelled G-r-a-n-n-i-e which must be how it is spelled in the UK. Did Harry not know how to spell the name he called his own grandmother??? Did he not read any of this book before it was published?

I remember this specifically because of the spelling difference.

I'm an English Granny and my spelling is more familiar to me than Grannie. I don't think it's a UK/US thing.

 

[Hallo girl]

I am beginning to think the leaks were deliberate firstly to garnish interest but also to allow things to be quoted out of context so Harry can now say how bad the media is.

 

[Moran]

I am beginning to think the leaks were deliberate firstly to garnish interest but also to allow things to be quoted out of context so Harry can now say how bad the media is.

How so? From where I stand, the context actually made things worse.

 

[chelly]

I can see them having either spelling Granny or Grannie for the Queen and they also all knew the Queen mother. I can see them using either one for them or one of them. The ghost writer might have just gone with Granny since that is a common spelling

 

[HRHHermione]

I am beginning to think the leaks were deliberate firstly to garnish interest but also to allow things to be quoted out of context so Harry can now say how bad the media is.

I think that's a damage control talking point that is a PR tactic. Reading it in context hasn't made any of it less shocking.

 

[Hallo girl]

How so? From where I stand, the context actually made things worse.

He is claiming out of context. He is obsessed with the media while feeding it.

 

[Curbside]

A clip from Tonight's interview, this one about him mentioning his kills in Afghanistan

https://twitter.com/x/status/1612948555777609730

Does he really say that he'll be angry if other people do it? But-but-but it's okay if it's him because he's not "boasting", it's okay to say 25 human being as chess pieces because of the context.

Sure, Harold.
Just like it's okay to body shamed a lady because everyone is laughing including the said lady herself.
Just like it's okay to make your staff wept and work under toxic environment because it's not your fault they couldn't accept "constructive criticism".
Just like it's okay to share "private" conversation and invade other's people privacy because you need to tell "your truth".
Just like it's okay to hit your employee because you're angry and need to vent.
Just like it's okay for you to be angry when other people doing the same to you. But they don't deserve to feel upset/angry, right Harold?

He’s saying the way that part of the book portrays Harry, without the context, he seems like some kind of sadistic psychopath. There’s a lot more to that passage than the couple of sentences reported in the media.

 

[tommy100]

He still called them chess pieces, he still put a number on his "kills" (all so very Hollywood) Its crass IMO and I say that as someone with a host of family in the military and whom I couldn't tell you for one second their "number". Seems like we now know his motto going forward is "blame the media for everything - even the words I write and speak".

 

[Moran]

Is anyone going to ask him what the difference between poor Meghan crying because Catherine criticized the bridesmaids' dresses (oh the horrorz!) and turned out to be right and the people he and his dear Meg brought to tears with their "constructive criticism" is? And just how well did he take constructive criticism when William offered it? And why was Meghan so defenseless, poor sweet dear, while those other people were weak, weak, weak?

 

[Curryong]

When someone else concentrates on criticism of her daughter’s dress at MY wedding when I have a load of other things on my plate, including problems with my father, and as a bride being seen by millions on my wedding day, hoping desperately that nothing goes wrong, then I would be more than slightly annoyed and distressed.

And sometimes little girls don’t like tights clinging to their legs on a very warm day. Sometimes a more casual informal approach to things like clothing works well.

And Meghan was not responsible for the cut of the little girls’ dresses. That was on the Givenchy team and solely on them, not on the bride.

 

[HRHHermione]

Please note: posts linking to inflammatory opinions from outside commenters that do not add new facts to the conversation are discouraged.

 

[Moran]

If a special bridezilla insists on having MY child at HER wedding in an ill-fitting dress of HER choosing and not MINE when I know MY child will be the most photographed bridesmaid, I will be concentrating on this. Especially when I know the very special bride is going to raise hell if I, say, change the dress with one that suits her but isn't the one the Very Special Bride has chosen. Running the risk of my 3 year old flashing her panties for all the world to see is not something I'd be happy to take. BTW, on one of the pictures Charlotte almost did that. But sure, it isn't Meghan's job to worry about this. Such a nice lady, always mindful of other people's children's comfort.

Which doesn't answer the question why poor dear and her protective husband blame Meghan's tears on Catherine alone and not the overall tension. Why Meghan made it such a big deal on Oprah.

And it certainly doesn't answer the question when the Sussexes will say or do something bad enough for their supporters to acknowledge a tiny bit of wrongdoing on their part.

Let's see... Harry talking about chess pieces. Harry talking about the disabled school matron with derision. Harry abusing his bodyguard. Harry talking about a work atmosphere where they made people cry and calling it constructive criticism. Not a word, apart from a dismissive comment that people can't take constructive criticism.

But let's talk about poor bride Meghan and capricious Catherine, shall we?

For real?

 

[Frelinghighness]

Good points above. Yes, charlotte would be the most photographed besides the bride. That Catherine had to realize the dresses didn’t fit was wrong. She was doing them a favor by having charlotte in the wedding. Also. She had just had a baby two weeks earlier.Btw, the dresses for the little girls were not very nice, in fact they looked like something out of a sears catalog. Even after they were supposed to be fixed, the only thing that saved them were their floral headpieces.

 

[Frelinghighness]

When someone else concentrates on criticism of her daughter’s dress at MY wedding when I have a load of other things on my plate, including problems with my father, and as a bride being seen by millions on my wedding day, hoping desperately that nothing goes wrong, then I would be more than slightly annoyed and distressed.

And sometimes little girls don’t like tights clinging to their legs on a very warm day. Sometimes a more casual informal approach to things like clothing works well.

And Meghan was not responsible for the cut of the little girls’ dresses. That was on the Givenchy team and solely on them, not on the bride.

It was unfortunate that she chose Givenchy who came up with a ho hum gown and mistakes on the little girls’ dresses. The bride is responsible for all on the wedding. That she had nuked her own family and all were on edge because of her her father’s behavior is all on her, no one else. That Charles and Camilla tried to rescue her from that is something I guess they just assumed was their due. Disgusting

 

[Curryong]

This was Meghan’s wedding, and she was the bride. The world’s attention would be on her not primarily on any of the bridesmaids. My view is that 95% of brides would agree that what their bridesmaids wore was their choice not the bridesmaids’ mothers.

Weddings are high tension affairs, especially for the bride. However there doesn’t seem to be much compassion for what a bride new to the Royal Family might be feeling as her wedding approached.

And the RF does not always behave spectacularly well under all circumstances. Especially when one brother grabs another and pushes him to the ground, and on another occasion lunges at him and pulls at his shirt shortly after their grandfather’s funeral.

 

[King of the Jungle]

Presumably all of the Mums had found the same thing so also had contacted Meghan. Had they all cried in their own homes?
The tailor reports that all dresses needed huge alterations. The whole situation would have been exasperating and to blame the tears on one Mum (in a public interview) was not nice.
In fairness, had the mothers and tailor not helped out the dresses could have been an embarrassing mess.

This is similar to many wedding drama stories but the great shame is the weight Harry put on the story and the fact that it was retold in a hurtful way.
It shows Harry to be very small minded and vindictive. Or ill and suffering paranoia.

It was compassionate for Kate to deliver flowers, for Charles to walk Meghan down the aisle, for the Queen to put on a spectacular wedding celebration and I'm certain other things happened behind the scenes.
The wedding showed Meghan having loads of support from Harry's family. Once again to dwell on a moment of frustration and dispair is not truthfully representative of the actual support given.
Harry was petty.

 

[Hallo girl]

This was Meghan’s wedding, and she was the bride. The world’s attention would be on her not primarily on any of the bridesmaids. My view is that 95% of brides would agree that what their bridesmaids wore was their choice not the bridesmaids’ mothers.

Weddings are high tension affairs, especially for the bride. However there doesn’t seem to be much compassion for what a bride new to the Royal Family might be feeling as her wedding approached.

And the RF does not always behave spectacularly well under all circumstances. Especially when one brother grabs another and pushes him to the ground, and on another occasion lunges at him and pulls at his shirt shortly after their grandfather’s funeral.

And one brother divulged private conversations and personal medical information about his family.
By the way Finding Freedom had a different version of events for dressgate, considering Meghan cooperated with that book I thought it might have been more accurate.
Bridesmaid dresses were not that important, just a side show.

 

[Leopoldine]

The Times has some excerpts from the book regarding the private secretaries.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...-secretary-fixed-sandringham-summit-mqh05mj6w

They reveal mean little nicknames Harry has assigned these three senior secretaries. Sir Edward Young is The Bee, Simon Case is The Fly and Sir Clive Alderton is The Wasp. There are some odious explanations for the names. I'm assuming these men had to sign NDAs.

 

[Moran]

Yeah, like the attention was all on Catherine on her wedding day. Except that Pippa's behind ended up elevated to stardom... and it was even dressed. Charlotte almost flashed her undies but sure, let's pretend she's just like 99.99% of the bridesmaids and not who she is.

Anyway, the whole bridesmaid dresses fiasco was a side thing in my post. Which was: why were Meghan's tears so precious while everyone else's was disregarded and Harry's cruelty to those who didn't cry wasn't even deigned with a justification?

What do the Sussex supporters need in order to admit any tiny wrongdoing on their part? It used to be, we don't know, we only hear what the evil media tell us! Now, Harry himself has confirmed many of the stories evil media told about them but these are passed by with stoic silence.

 

[Curbside]

Presumably all of the Mums had found the same thing so also had contacted Meghan. Had they all cried in their own homes?
The tailor reports that all dresses needed huge alterations. The whole situation would have been exasperating and to blame the tears on one Mum (in a public interview) was not nice.
In fairness, had the mothers and tailor not helped out the dresses could have been an embarrassing mess.

This is similar to many wedding drama stories but the great shame is the weight Harry put on the story and the fact that it was retold in a hurtful way.
It shows Harry to be very small minded and vindictive. Or ill and suffering paranoia.

It was compassionate for Kate to deliver flowers, for Charles to walk Meghan down the aisle, for the Queen to put on a spectacular wedding celebration and I'm certain other things happened behind the scenes.
The wedding showed Meghan having loads of support from Harry's family. Once again to dwell on a moment of frustration and dispair is not truthfully representative of the actual support given.
Harry was petty.

Presumably, all the bridesmaid’s parents were told where to find the tailor.

 

[Curbside]

It was unfortunate that she chose Givenchy who came up with a ho hum gown and mistakes on the little girls’ dresses. The bride is responsible for all on the wedding. That she had nuked her own family and all were on edge because of her her father’s behavior is all on her, no one else. That Charles and Camilla tried to rescue her from that is something I guess they just assumed was their due. Disgusting

If I heard that someone was having Givenchy dresses designed for their wedding, I would assume the dresses would be expensive and well done. The dresses should not have had to be altered so extensively. For a wedding where the dresses alone were well into the six figures, and created by people who presumably know how to sew dresses, I would not be blaming the bride when the dresses didn’t fit.

Meghan didn’t nuke her own family. The family got a whiff of tabloid bucks and self-imploded.

 

[Curryong]

Do anti-Sussex supporters admit any tiny bit of wrongdoing on behalf of Charles, Camilla, William or Kate? I don’t believe so. Instead there has been a huge pile on of everything Harry and Meghan have said and done with the worst possible imputations put on it, always, from the time Harry was a child.

Nobody in the Palace or the family was ever to blame for anything but Harry, and (after she appeared) Meghan as well. Every member of the Royal Family was angelic, sweet and kind always, no coldness, no working against each other by different households, and the media were always so wonderfully adoring that Harry and Meghan never had anything to worry about ever! No digging away trying to find dirt there!